Asus has launched the ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi motherboard, a high-end product aimed at both gamers and PC enthusiasts. Priced at $300 (£340), this motherboard boasts extensive support for M.2 SSDs, advanced cooling options, and impressive overclocking capabilities, despite some minor drawbacks.
Unmatched M.2 SSD support and cooling efficiency
One of the standout features of this motherboard is its strong support for M.2 SSDs. There are two slots for PCI-E 4 SSDs and two slots for PCI-E 3 SSDs, one of which also supports SATA M.2 SSDs. The installation process is very easy to use thanks to the tool-free latch fixing mechanism. What’s even more appealing is that all four slots are equipped with large heatsinks. In particular, the primary slot features an RGB-illuminated logo and a thermal pad that effectively cools the underside of the M.2 SSD, and his lowest M.2 SSD load temperature in our tests was only It is 55°C. However, the heatsink’s proximity to the graphics card backplate caused some accessibility issues.
Performance and cooling under the hood
The ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi motherboard excels in other areas besides its storage capabilities. Supports dual GPUs in PCI-E 4 mode, but limited to 8 PCI-E lanes each. The board’s aesthetic is enhanced by a luminous ROG logo and acrylic strips on the I/O shroud for a sleek, neutral design. Despite lacking the onboard overclocking and testing tools found on some competitors, this motherboard includes important features such as a clear CMOS button, LED POST code display, and USB BIOS FlashBack button. Masu. Cooling is efficiently managed by a huge VRM heatsink connected by heat pipes and an optional fan for additional cooling, which proved unnecessary in our stress tests. Notably, the board also features a display output that can be used without a graphics card, dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 802.11ax Wi-Fi, and a Realtek ALC4080 audio codec.
Overclocking and overall performance
In terms of performance, the ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi motherboard excels, achieving the highest scores in the RealBench System and Cinebench single-threaded benchmarks at standard speeds. However, we found overclocking to be more difficult than some of its competitors and required significant adjustments. Nevertheless, it reached a stable 5.1GHz all-core clock at 1.34V, ultimately earning us the highest system score in our test. This ranks the Asus ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi among the top gaming motherboards in its price range, but potential buyers should weigh its several drawbacks against its overall performance and feature set. there is.
Despite their high price, motherboards offer performance, cooling, and features that make them an attractive choice for gamers and PC builders looking for top-tier hardware. Support for the latest M.2 SSD, coupled with robust cooling solutions and solid overclocking capabilities, highlights Asus’ commitment to meeting the needs of high-end users. However, challenges in accessing the M.2 SSD release and early audio performance issues remind users that even premium products are not without flaws.
